Butt hinge



Nov. 13, 1962 c. D. THOMAS 3,063,087

BUTT HINGE Filed Dec. 29, 1960 INVENTOR.

Char 5 0. 7/20/7705 QM, M,

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent )fitic'e 3,%3,08 7 Patented Nov. 13, 1952 3,063,087 BUTT HINGE Charles D. Thomas, 231 Clifton Parkway, Hamburg, NY. Filed Dec. 29, 196i), Ser. No. 79,278 9 Claims. (Cl. 16-128) This invention relates to hinges such as are commonly used in mounting doors and particularly to the type of hinge known in the art as a butt hinge.

In conventional butt hinges the two plate members which arehinged to each other for relative pivotal move ment lie fiatwise against each other when the hinge is in one of its extreme positions, usually when the door is closed. Thus the thickness occupied by the hinge plates in closed position is substantial and conventionally requires that the door and door frame, for instance, be mortised to accommodate the plates.

The present invention provides a butt hinge wherein the plates have novel complementary surface formations which interfit in such manner that each hinge plate has adequate stiffness and strength and wherein the total plate thickness when they lie against each other is little more than the thickness of a single plate in a conventional butt hinge. Accordingly the butt hinges of the present invention may often be used without any of the conventional mortising of the door and door frame or in some instances only one of these parts may require mortising.

In its broader aspect the present invention comprises a pair of butt hinge plates in which each has a substantially flat and continuous outer surface for securement against a door edge and the meeting surface of a door frame, or similar parts to be hinged, and wherein the opposite surfaces of the plates have thin and thick portions with the thick portions of one plate fitting into the depressions formed by the thin portions of the other plate. The thicker portions of each hinge plate may be suitably drilled and countersunk to receive screws or other fasteners while the thin portions maintain the surface continuity of the seating part of the hinge and cooperate with the thick portions to provide a structurally efficient hinge cross section and parts which have adequate strength and stiffness.

In the hinge of the present invention the arrangement is such that the thicker portions of each plate extend laterally to form the interfitting curled portions at the edges of the hinges which receive the hinge pins. This further cooperates to provide an extremely strong hinge structure for the amount of metal employed and in relation to the overall thickness of the abutting hinge plates.

In a preferred form of the present invention each hinge plate has thick and thin portions which comprise alternate bands extending across the hinge plate at right angles to the axis of the hinge pin and the curled portions which receive such pin. The thick portions of one plate are staggered with respect to the thick portions of the other plate which not only permits interfitting of the plates in abutting position but automatically disposes the thick portions where they extend into or merge into the curled edge portions of each plate, the thin portions of each plate being notched out at each edges so that the thick curled portions may interfit more or less in the manner which is usual in hinge construction.

A further very important advantage of this preferred form of the invention resides in the fact that the hinge plates may be sheared from a continuous strip of metal which has been rolled or extruded to the required cross sectional form to provide the desired transversely extending thick and thin portions. Such thick and thin portions will extend longitudinally of the strip of material but transversely of each hinge plate when the latter has been sheared from the strip. This eliminates the necessity for forging or die casting the hinge plates or restarting to other relatively expensive fabrication methods in order to provide the thick and thin portions which underlie the present invention. All of the steps actually required in the manufacture of hinges from strip stock of the required special cross section are ordinary sheet metal cutting and forming steps such as are normally employed in manufacturing conventional butt hinges and manufacturing costs are accordingly comparable to those of ordinary butt hinges.

In addition to the advantages outlined above the preferred form of the butt hinge of the present invention is so arranged that the hinge plates in moving to abutting position cam into interfitting relation in such manner that the parts are self-alining, that is, the hinge plates are cammed into accurate registry and coincidence, thus bringing the door into proper alinement with the door opening.

Several embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in detail in the following specification. However, it is to be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the principles of the invention, the scope of which is limited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a general elevational view of one form of the 'butt hinge of the present invention with the same in open position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hinge of FIG. 1 with the hinge being omitted;

FIG. 3 is a further elevational view of the hinge of FIG. 1 taken at right angles thereto and showing the hinge edgewise;

FIG. 4 is a further edgewise view which is somewhat diagrammatic and shows the cross-sectional contour of the strip material from which the hinge is preferably fabricated in the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a hinge formed from material having curving corrugations in one surface thereof.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings and in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral 10 designates generally each of a pair of hinge plate members. Each hinge plate has a relatively fiat face 11 and an opposite face 12 which is rolled, extruded or otherwise formed with channel depressions 13. The adjacent edges of the pair of plate members 10 are notched in registry with their channel formations as shown at 14 in FIG. 1 and the projecting unnotched portions at such edges are curled to provide hinge pin bearing formations 15.

As shown in FIG. 1 a more or less conventional hinge pin 16 extends downwardly through the several bearings 15 and the usual short dummy pin 17 is pressed into the lower end of the lowermost bearing 15 purely for decorative reasons.

In the present instance the plate members 10 are slightly offset as indicated at 26 in FIG. 2 particularly. The surfaces 11 of the hinge plates 10 outwardly of the offsets 29 are placed respectively against the edge of a door and the opposed jamb surface of a door frame and the offsets 24) provide convenient means for locating the hinge plates 20 with respect to the edge of the door and the edge of the jamb surface.

It is to be understood that the relatively flat surfaces 11 bear directly against the door edge and the door jamb and that accordingly the channeled surfaces 12 of the hinge plates 10 move toward and against each other when the door is moved to a closed position, that is, at least in instances wherein the butt hinges of the present invention are used in the ordinary manner. The same principles would apply in less usual applications wherein the hinge plates may abut when a door or cover member is in open position for one reason or another.

The thicker portions of the plate members 10 between the channel formations 13 are provided with countersunk holes 21 which receive wood screws or other devices for attaching the hinge plates to the structures with which they are to be used.

As will be noted from FIG. 4, the channeled portions of the hinge plates 10 are quite thin and in a typical instance may be of the order of 20 thousandths of an inch in thickness whereas the unchanneled portions of the plates 10 may be of the general order of 100 thousandths of an inch in thickness. Accordingly, when the hinge plates move into abutment, as when a door is closed, the channeled and unchanneled portions of the abutting faces interfit closely so that the joint thickness of the hinge plates is merely 120 thousandths of an inch, which is little more than the normal thickness of one hinge plate in a butt hinge of this general type. tial saving in thickness which approaches fifty percent, makes it possible in many instances to omit the usual mortising of the door edge or the door jamb or both in applying butt hinges. Despite the saving in thickness the hinge plates have adequate thickness at the places where the screws or other fasteners are applied and the bearings are of full thickness and not in any way weakened by the aforesaid channel formations. Also while the plate is relatively thin in the vicinity of the channel formations, enough material is present to retain the rectangular integrity of the hinge plate.

The hinge bearing curls 15 may be formed in either direction from the edge of the stock. That is, the curls forming the bearings may be made in such a way that the channeled surfaces 12 of the plates 10 are outermost, as in the present instance, or the relatively fiat surfaces 11 may be outermost. In the illustrated instance the beveled edges of the channel formations are believed to add to the decorative value of the composite hinge pin bearing structure and these beveled edges also facilitate assembling the hinge pin bearings of a pair of plate members particularly when the latter are applied to a door and jamb.

FIG. illustrates a modified form of the butt hinge of the present invention viewed as in FIG. 3 in the case of the first embodiment. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, each of the pair of hinge plate members 3t) has a flat face 31 and a sinuously corrugated face 32. The curving depressions of the corrugated face 32 of each hinge plate 30 perform substantially the same function as the channel formations 13 in the first embodiment. As in the previous instance, the thicker portions of the plate members 30 are provided with countersunk holes 33 for securement of the hinge plates to door and jamb structure and hinge pin bearings 34 are formed as in the previous embodiment, the hinge plates 39 being similarly notched at their depressed portions. In FIG. 5 the hinge pin is designated 36 and a dummy or filler pin is designated 37.

It Will be noted that the thicker portions of the plates 30 which form the hinge pin bearings34 combine to form a scalloped outline as viewed in FIG. 5 which is attractive in appearance.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it will be noted that the plates are offset with respect to each other in the instances shown. As thus shown each hinge plate includes all of the area necessary for proper and efiicient functioning. However, if a user or manufacturer wishes to avoid the offset appearance the thinner portions of the hinge plate members 10 may be continued vertically upwardly as to the left-hand plate member 10 and vertically downwardly as to the right-hand plate member 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1, so that the two hinge plate members 10 form substantially a continuous rectangle When viewed as in FIG. 1.

This very substan- As indicated above the preferred forms of the hinges of the present invention are self-alining. Referring particularly to the primary embodiment, the oblique hinge plate surfaces which connect the bottoms of the channel depressions 13 with the undepressed surface of face 12 interfit with the complementary oblique surfaces of the other hinge plate member to cause the hinge plate members to be cammed into accurate registry and thus tend to correct for any misalinement such as may be due to the weight of the door or looseness of fit in the hinge pin or other cause.

I claim:

1. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members adapted to be pivoted to each other along an edge of each plate, each plate having depressed channel formations extending across such plate at right angles to said edge thereof and in the surface which faces the other plate when the same are in relatively abutting relationship, the depressed channel portions of each plate being notched at said edge whereby the thicker undepressed portions project beyond the channel portions at such edge, said projecting portions being formed to provide hinge pin bearings, the depressed channel portions of each plate being staggered with respect to the depressed portions of r the other whereby the plates interfit when in substantial abutment and whereby the bearing portions of each interfit with the bearing portions of the other to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, and a hinge pin disposed in such bearing means.

2. In a butt hinge, a pair of plate members adapted to be pivoted to each other along an edge of each plate, each plate having depressed channel formations extending across such plate at right angles to said edge thereof and in the surface which faces the other plate when the same are in relatively abutting relationship, the thicker undepressed portions projecting beyond the channel portions at such edge, said projecting portions being formed to provide hinge pin bearings, the depressed channel portions of each plate being staggered with respect to the depressed portions of the other whereby the plates interfit when in substantial abutment and whereby the bearing portions of each interfit with the bearing portions of the other to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, and a hinge pin disposed in such bearing means.

3. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members adapted to be pivoted to each other along an edge of each plate, each plate having depressed channel formations extending across such plate at right angles to said edge thereof and in the surface which faces the other plate when the same are in relatively abutting relationship, the thicker undepressed portions projecting beyond the channel portions at such edge, said projecting portions being formed to provide hinge pin bearings, the depressed channel portions of each plate being staggered with respect to the depressed portions of the other whereby the plates interfit when in substantial abutment and whereby the bearing portions of each interfit with the bearing portions of the other to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, said thicker undepressed portions being perforated to receive hinge fastening means, and a hinge pin disposed in such bearing means.

4. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members, each plate member having a plurality of spaced hinge pin bearing formations along an edge thereof, the bearing formations of one plate member being staggered with respect to the bearing formations of the other plate member whereby the spaced hinge pin bearings of the two plate members interfit to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, said plate members having transverse depressions in facing surfaces thereof, the depressions of each plate member lying between the hinge pin bearings of such plate member and extending thereacross at right angles to the axis of said hinge pin bearing formations, the depressions of the two plate members being complementary whereby the said facing surfaces interfit when the plates are moved against each other by relative pivotal movement thereof about the axis of said hinge pin bearing means, and a hinge pin disposed in said bearing means.

5. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members, each plate member having a plurality of spaced hinge pin bearing formations along an edge thereof, the bearing formations of one plate member being staggered with respect to the bearing formations of the other plate member whereby the spaced hinge pin bearings of the two plate members inter-fit to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, said plate members having transverse depressions in facing surfaces thereof, the depressions of each plate member lying between the hinge pin bearings of such plate member and extending thereacross at right angles to the axis of said hinge pin bearing formations, the undepressed portions of said plate member comprising transverse bands substantially in registry with said bearing formations and extending into said bearing formations, the undepressed portions of each plate member being adapted to fit into the depressions of the other when the plates are moved against each other by relative pivotal movement thereof about the axis of said hinge pin hearing means, and a hinge pin disposed in said bearing means.

6. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members, each plate member having a plurality of spaced hinge pin bearing formations along an edge thereof, the bearing formations of one plate member being staggered with respect to the bearing formations of the other plate member whereby the spaced hinge pin bearings of the two plate members interfit to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, said plate members having transverse depressions in facing surfaces thereof, the depressions of each plate member lying between the hinge pin bearings of such plate member and extending thereacross at right angles to the axis of said hinge pin bearing formations, the undepressed portions of said plate member comprising transverse bands substantially in registry with said bearing formations and extending into said bearing formations, the undepressed portions of each plate member being adapted to fit into the depressions of the other when the plates are moved against each other by relative pivotal movement thereof about the axis of said hinge pin bearing means, said undepressed portions being perforated to receive hinge fasteners, and a hinge pin disposed in said bearing means.

7. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members, each plate member having a plurality of spaced hinge pin bearing formations along an edge thereof, the bearing formations of one plate member being staggered with respect to the bearing formations of the other plate member whereby the spaced hinge pin bearings of the two plate members interfit to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, said plate members having transverse depressions in facing surfaces thereof, the depressions of each plate member lying between the hinge pin bearings of such plate member, the depressions of the two plate members being complementary whereby the said facing surfaces interfit when the plates are moved against each other by relative pivotal movement thereof about the axis of said hinge pin bearing means, and a hinge pin disposed in said bearing means.

8. In a butt hinge, a pair of generally rectangular plate members, each plate member having a plurality of spaced hinge pin bearing formations along an edge thereof, the bearing formations of one plate member being staggered with respect to the bearing formations of the other plate member whereby the spaced hinge pin bearings of the two plate members interfit to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, said plate members having transverse depressions in facing surfaces thereof, the depressions of each plate member lying between the hinge pin bearings of such plate member, the depressions of the two plate members being complementary whereby the said facing surfaces interfit when the plates are moved against each other by relative pivotal movement thereof about the axis of said hinge pin bearing means, the portions of said plate members lying between said depressions having fastener receiving openings therein, and a hinge pin disposed in said bearing means.

9. In a butt hinge, a pair of plate members adapted to be pivoted to each other along an edge of each plate, each plate having depressed channel formations extending across such plate at right angles to said edge thereof and in the surface which faces the other plate when the same are in relatively abutting relationship, said plates having complementary oblique surfaces defining the edges of said channel formations, the depressed channel portions of each plate being notched at a said edge whereby the thicker undepressed portions project beyond the channel portions at such edge, said projecting portions being formed to provide hinge pin bearings, the depressed channel portions of each plate being staggered with respect to the other whereby the plates interfit when in substantial abutment with the bearing portions of each interfitting with the bearing portions of the other to form a continuous hinge pin bearing means, the said oblique surfaces of the two plate members being adapted to cam against each other when the plate members move into abutment, to aline said plate members, and a hinge pin disposed in such bearing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 131,032 Shepard Sept. 3, 1872 1,676,541 Friedman July 10, 1928 1,868,126 Wilson July 19, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 670,172 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1952 

